4.1 Dragon1 is an open Standard
Dragon1 is an open Standard for working with Enterprise Architecture. 'Open' here means that information about the Dragon1 open EA Method is freely available and/or via textbooks at nominal costs. There are no restrictions whatsoever for using Dragon1 properly. There are although some limitations on what you may or can do with Dragon1.
Dragon1 is an open standard for working with Enterprise Architecture.
4.2 Why an Open Standard for Enterprise Architecture?
The four main reasons to create an open standard for Enterprise Architecture is that 1) many practitioners can collaborate in creating quality architecture products, with the assurance that the method or framework they are using can or never will be made not open or restricted to use. And 2) also to have the assurance that there is a transparent procedure that is used to improve the method or framework. And 3) also to make usage or adoption of the method or framework possible at a low level of entry. And 4) ensure that documentation and materials are available at nominal costs.
4.3 What is a Technical Standard?
A technical standard is an established norm or requirement regarding technical systems. It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes, and practices ( source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_standard).
Dragon1 as a method is written down in several textbooks. These books are the official method specification. With that, there is a formal document that contains that is the technical standard: 'Dragon1 open EA Method'. If one refers to the Dragon1 open EA Method, one refers to what is in that specification document.
4.4 Dragon1 is Copyright Protected
Dragon1 is a technical standard and the word and the graphical image 'Dragon1' are deposited as international trademarks. With that, the Dragon1 Foundation protects practitioners of the method from abuse and misusage and keeps the method open.
4.5 How does the Dragon1 Foundation define Open Standard?
The Dragon1 Foundation defines Open Standard as follows:
An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it and may also have various properties of how it was designed (e.g. open process).
There are five, key Open Standard Principles, as outlined below, that the Dragon1 Foundation uses:
1. Cooperation
Respectful cooperation between standards organizations, whereby each respects the autonomy, integrity, processes, and intellectual property rules of the others.
2. Adherence to Principles
Adherence to the five fundamental principles of standards development:
- Due process. Decisions are made with equity and fairness among participants. No one party dominates or guides standards development. Standards processes are transparent and opportunities exist to appeal decisions. Processes for periodic standards review and updating are well-defined.
- Broad consensus. Processes allow for all views to be considered and addressed, such that agreement can be found across a range of interests.
- Transparency. Standards organizations provide advance public notice of proposed standards development activities, the scope of work to be undertaken, and conditions for participation. Easily accessible records of decisions and the materials used in reaching those decisions are provided. Public comment periods are provided before final standards approval and adoption.
- Balance. Standards activities are not exclusively dominated by any particular person, company, or interest group.
- Openness. Standards processes are open to all interested and informed parties.
3. Collective Empowerment
Commitment by affirming standards organizations and their participants to collective empowerment by striving for standards that:
are chosen and defined based on technical merit, as judged by the contributed expertise of each participant;
provide global interoperability, scalability, stability, and resiliency;
enable global competition;
serve as building blocks for further innovation; and
contribute to the creation of global communities, benefiting humanity.
4. Availability
Standards specifications are made accessible to all for implementation and deployment. Affirming standards organizations have defined procedures to develop specifications that can be implemented under fair terms. Given market diversity, fair terms may vary from royalty-free to fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms (FRAND).
5. Voluntary
Adoption Standards are voluntarily adopted and success is determined by the market.
These principles have led to many successful open standards we use today. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard
4.6 Dragon1 Foundation
Dragon1 Foundation is a nonprofit standards organization focused on the further development and innovation of the Dragon1 open EA Method. The Dragon1 Foundation is the caretaker of the method and the only organization that has the legal right to do so.
The Dragon1 Foundation makes sure that Dragon1 stays open and respects the five principles above.
4.7 Open Review Process
Anyone or any organization at any time can make use of the transparent change procedures to have change requests, suggestions, or proposals to improve Dragon1 open EA Method, processed, reviewed, and may be approved.
Next to that the Dragon1 Foundation works with an annual update cycle, to make sure that every part of the method stays usable.
4.8 Dragon1 Textbooks
The method specification is available via paperback and hardcover textbooks. Also, online eBooks are available. The textbooks are available at nominal costs and the books are copyright protected.
4.9 About adopting and changing Dragon1
You may adopt parts of the method unedited, not the whole method, into your method. But still, the Dragon1 parts stay open and need to be referred to as Dragon1 parts, using the reference 'Dragon1 Open EA Method', www.dragon1.com / www.dragon1.org.
You may never change, reduce or extend, a part of Dragon1 by yourself. If you want to do that you need to make use of the Open Review Process. If we allow this, it could cause confusion among practitioners or parts of the method to become not open anymore.
4.10 About Certification and Accreditation
The Dragon1 Foundation is the only organization that may certify practitioners or accrediting organizations for Dragon1 and enter them in a Dragon1 register and provide that register.
In this way the Dragon1 Foundation controls the quality of consultancy and training services and services provided in the market using Dragon1 as part of it.
4.11 Using Dragon1 Properly
Using Dragon1 properly comes down to four things:
1. Adopting Dragon1 as a whole as an internal method for working with Enterprise Architecture
Every organization has its way of working for system development, project management, and sometimes also enterprise architecture.
Dragon1 as an open EA method is meant to be adopted as a whole or to be used to enrich the way of working with enterprise architecture in an organization.
The Dragon1 Foundation has developed an approach on how to adopt, introduce, and implement Dragon1 as an open EA method.
2. Creating architecture products using Dragon1 as internal EA method
The Dragon1 open EA Method states that enterprise architecture is a total concept for an enterprise structure and that an architect is the designer of that total concept and the supervisor of the realization of that total concept.
This results in the fact that an architect always has to create architecture design products like blueprints, landscapes, and sketch drawings.
Dragon1 as a method lays out in detail how to create architecture design products that can be used to support decision-making.
3. Providing training in Dragon1
The Dragon1 Architecture Foundation has defined a Dragon1 Education Program consisting of several training courses.
Only if you are a Dragon1 Certified Trainer or Dragon1 Accredited Training organization you may commercially provide the official Dragon1 training courses. The Dragon1 Foundation publishes a register of certified persons and accredited organizations.
If you are not certified you may only provide internal training in Dragon1 in your organization, at a public school, or a public university. The training may not be advertised with Dragon1 in its name or the advertisement.
You may make parts of the Dragon1 method part of your training, but you may not create a training mostly or only addresses Dragon1.
If you have developed a training yourself you can have it reviewed by the Dragon1 Foundation for conformance and improvement.
In this way the Dragon1 Foundation can control the quality of the Dragon1 training and training courses around the world.
4. Providing consultancy in Dragon1
The Dragon1 Architecture Foundation has defined a Dragon1 Consultancy Program consisting of several consultancy practices.
Only if you are a Dragon1 Certified Architect or Dragon1 Accredited Consulting organization you may commercially provide the official Dragon1 consultancy practices. The Dragon1 Foundation publishes a register of certified persons and accredited organizations.
If you are not certified you may only provide internal consultancy in Dragon1 in your organization and the consultancy may not be advertised with Dragon1 in its name or the advertisement.
You may make parts of the Dragon1 method part of your consultancy practices, but you may not create a consultancy practice that mostly or only addresses Dragon1.
If you have developed a consultancy practice yourself you can have it reviewed by the Dragon1 Foundation for conformance and improvement.
In this way, the Dragon1 Foundation can control the quality of Dragon1 consultancy and practices around the world.
Whenever you are busy with one of these four activities, you are using Dragon1 properly.